Method for processing a wafer and apparatus for performing the same

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for processing a wafer in manufacturing a semiconductor device and a method and an apparatus for etching a material formed on the wafer, wherein first and second cooling parts adjust an ambient temperature near a plurality of wafers to a first temperature, the wafers are processed by introducing a reaction gas at the first temperature, then, a heating part rapidly raises the temperature of the atmosphere near the wafers from the first temperature to the second temperature to partially separate by-products produced during the processing, the second temperature is maintained to separate most of the by-products from the wafers, and the processing steps are implemented in-situ within the same space. Accordingly, a native oxide layer formed on several wafers can be etched and the reaction by-products can be removed in-situ in the same chamber so productivity is improved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for processing a waferand an apparatus for performing the same. The present invention furtherrelates to a method for etching a wafer and an apparatus for performingthe same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a methodfor processing a material, such as a native oxide layer, formed on awafer and a method for etching the material.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Recently, the design of semiconductor devices has made rapidprogress for wide spread use in information media applications such ascomputers. In particular, this progress has required the semiconductordevices to function at a high operating speed and to have a largestorage capacitance. In order to satisfy these requirements,semiconductor devices having an increased density, higher reliability,and a faster response time are under continued development.

[0005] The continuous development of manufacturing techniques of a DRAMdevice has achieved a mass-production of a 256 Mega bit DRAM device anda Giga bit DRAM device. The 256 Mega bit DRAM device and the Giga bitDRAM device include a multi-layered wiring structure.

[0006] A multi-layered wiring structure is obtained by sequentiallydepositing each layer of the multi-layered wiring structure. During theimplementation of the stacking process of each layer, the wafer isfrequently exposed to the atmosphere. When the wafer is exposed to theatmosphere, silicon present on the wafer reacts with O₂ in theatmosphere to form a native oxide layer.

[0007]FIG. 1 illustrates a wafer 10 on which a native oxide layer 12 isgrown. When the wafer 10 makes contact with O₂ in the atmosphere, Sicomposing the wafer 10 reacts with O₂ to grow the native oxide layer 12as shown in FIG. 1. This native oxide layer 12 is grown to a thicknessof about several Å on the wafer 10.

[0008] The native oxide layer is a factor in inducing a defect duringsubsequently implemented integrated circuit (IC) processes. It alsobecomes a cause of increasing contact resistance, which leads to alowering of an operation speed and the reliability of a semiconductordevice.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer 20 having a contacthole 26 and a native oxide layer 22 grown thereon. That is, the nativeoxide layer 22 is grown through a reaction of silicon with oxygen in theatmosphere at the bottom portion of a contact hole 26 that is formedthrough a patterning process of an insulating layer 24. Since the nativeoxide layer leads to an increase in contact resistance, preferably, thenative oxide layer is removed.

[0010] According to a conventional method for removing the native oxidelayer, the native oxide layer is etched by a wet etching method.However, for a contact hole having a high aspect ratio, the etching ofthe native oxide layer by the wet etching method is not easy. Inaddition, other structures integrated on the wafer may also be affectedby the wet etching method due to some of the chemicals used in the wetetching method.

[0011] According to another conventional method for removing the nativeoxide layer, the native oxide layer is etched by a dry etching method.That is, the native oxide layer is etched using an etching gas.Accordingly, the native oxide in a contact hole having a high aspectratio can be advantageously etched off. In addition, the etching gas hasless effect on the other structures integrated on the wafer as comparedto the chemicals used in the wet etching method. Since the wafer isprocessed through a single wafer-type treatment method according to thedry etching method, however, the processing efficiency of the etching ofthe native oxide layer is very low.

[0012] Recently, a pre-treating method, which is implemented afterformation of a thin native oxide film on the wafer and before asubsequent process for restraining the growth of the native oxide layer,has been reported. That is, the pre-treating method for restraining thegrowth of the native oxide layer is implemented within a same space (forexample, a chamber) used for forming the thin film before carrying outthe subsequent process.

[0013] According to a conventional pre-treating method, a thin film isformed on a wafer and then a heat treatment and a cooling aresubsequently implemented to restrain the growth of the native oxidelayer on the thin film within the same space used for forming the thinfilm. According to another conventional pre-treating method, a chamberincluding a cooling unit and a heater therein for forming a thin film isdisclosed. The growth of the native oxide layer can be restrained bysubsequently implementing a heat treatment and a cooling within the samechamber after forming the thin film on the wafer.

[0014] The growth of the native oxide layer, however, cannot becompletely restrained through implementing the pre-treating processsteps. When the thin film makes contact with O₂ in the atmosphere, thegrowth of the native oxide layer is inevitable. In addition, accordingto the conventional methods described above, all of the elements forcarrying out the pre-treatment are installed within the same chamberused for forming the thin film. However, the chamber has a spatiallimitation and so the manufacturing cost of the chamber increases.

[0015] Therefore, a novel method for improving the productivity of thewafer treatment step with a minimization in the spatial restriction isrequired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] In an effort to solve the aforementioned problems, a firstfeature of an embodiment of the present invention provides a method forprocessing a semiconductor wafer, in which a plurality of wafers areheat-treated within the same space (for example, a chamber).

[0017] A second feature of an embodiment of the present inventionprovides an apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer, in which aplurality of wafers may be processed within the same space.

[0018] A third feature of an embodiment of the present inventionprovides a method for etching an optional material formed on a pluralityof wafers within the same space.

[0019] A fourth feature of an embodiment of the present inventionprovides an apparatus for etching, which is appropriate for implementingthe above-described etching method.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided amethod for processing a wafer including adjusting an ambient temperaturenear a wafer to a first temperature; introducing a reaction gas onto thewafer at the first temperature for processing the wafer; rapidly raisingthe ambient temperature near the wafer to a second temperature higherthan the first temperature for partially separating by-products producedduring the processing of the wafer from the wafer; and maintaining thesecond temperature for separating most of the by-products from theambient of the wafer, wherein all of the above processes are implementedin-situ within the same space (for example, a chamber).

[0021] In another embodiment of the present invention an apparatus forprocessing a wafer includes a first chamber for receiving a wafertherein; a second chamber for receiving the first chamber therein, withan inner surface of the second chamber facing an outer surface of thefirst chamber for forming an adiabatic vacuum space in-between thesecond chamber and the first chamber; a heating means for providing thefirst chamber with a radiant heat to heat the first chamber; a firstcooling means provided at an outer portion of the first chamber forcooling the first chamber; and a second cooling means installed in thefirst chamber for cooling the wafer and the first chamber.

[0022] According to the present invention, a wafer is processed byadjusting the temperature appropriately within the same space.Particularly, since a plurality of wafers may be processedsimultaneously, a producing efficiency is improved.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present invention there is provided amethod for etching a predetermined layer formed on a wafer includingadjusting a temperature in a chamber, in which a plurality of wafers onwhich a predetermined material layer is formed are introduced, to atemperature of about 15 to 30° C. suitable for etching the predeterminedmaterial layer; introducing an etching gas into the chamber at atemperature of about 15 to 30° C. for dry etching the predeterminedmaterial layer formed on the wafer; rapidly raising the temperature inthe chamber to a temperature of about 100 to 200° C. for heating thewafer to partially vaporize by-products produced during implementing thedry etching step and to drive out the by-products from an ambient of thewafer; maintaining the temperature in the chamber at about 100 to 200°C. for vaporizing and driving out the by-products from the ambient ofthe wafer and from an inner portion of the chamber; and lowering andre-adjusting the temperature in the chamber to a temperature of about 15to 30° C. suitable for implementing the etching, wherein the aboveprocesses are implemented in-situ within a same space.

[0024] In another embodiment of the present invention an apparatus forprocessing a wafer further includes a reaction gas introducing lineconnected to the first chamber for introducing a reaction gas forprocessing the wafer received in the first chamber; an exhausting lineconnected to the first chamber for exhausting a by-product producedduring processing the wafer using the reaction gas and for evacuatingthe first chamber. In yet another embodiment of the present invention anapparatus for processing a wafer further includes a load-lock chamberconnected to the first chamber for storing a processed wafer and formaintaining the wafer to be received in the first chamber in stand-by;and a transporting means installed under the load-lock chamber fortransporting the wafer between the first chamber and the load-lockchamber through an up-and-down driving. In yet another embodiment of thepresent invention an apparatus for processing a wafer further includes aslot valve between the load-lock chamber and the first chamber foropening and closing of the load-lock chamber to the first chamber; agate valve at one side of the load-lock chamber to load and unload theboat into and out of the load-lock chamber; and a gas introducing lineand a gas exhausting line connected to the load-lock chamber to maintainatmospheric pressure or vacuum in the load-lock chamber.

[0025] In still another embodiment of the present invention an apparatusfor etching a predetermined layer formed on a wafer includes a firstchamber for receiving a boat on which a plurality of wafers are loadedand for receiving an etching gas to etch a predetermined material formedon the wafer; a second chamber for receiving the first chamber, an innersurface of the second chamber facing an outer surface of the firstchamber to form an adiabatic vacuum space in-between the first and thesecond chambers; a heating means provided at an inner surface of thesecond chamber for heating the first chamber and the wafer; a firstcooling means provided at an outer surface of the first chamber forcooling the first chamber; a second cooling means provided in the firstchamber for cooling the first chamber and the wafer; a rotating meansfor rotating the boat for uniformly heating and cooling the wafersloaded on the boat; a load-lock chamber connected to the first chamberfor storing and maintaining the boat in stand-by; and a transportingmeans provided at the load-lock chamber for transporting the boatbetween the first chamber and the load-lock chamber. In an anotheraspect of the present invention an apparatus for etching a predeterminedlayer formed on a wafer further comprises: a slot valve between theload-lock chamber and the first chamber for opening and closing of theload-lock chamber to the first chamber; a gate valve at one side of theload-lock chamber to load and unload the boat into and out of theload-lock chamber; and a gas introducing line and a gas exhausting lineconnected to the load-lock chamber to maintain atmospheric pressure orvacuum in the load-lock chamber.

[0026] According to the present invention, a predetermined materialformed on a plurality of wafers may be easily etched within the samespace to maximize production efficiency.

[0027] These and other features of the present invention will be readilyapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of thedetailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The above and other features and advantages of the presentinvention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart by reference to the following detailed description when consideredin conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0029]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a wafer on which anative oxide layer is grown;

[0030]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a wafer having acontact hole and a native oxide layer grown therein;

[0031]FIG. 3 is a flow chart for a wafer processing method according toan embodiment of the present invention;

[0032]FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating an apparatus forprocessing a wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033]FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a heatingpart in FIG. 4;

[0034]FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a firstcooling part installed in the apparatus of FIG. 4;

[0035]FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of afirst cooling part;

[0036]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodimentof a heating part and a first cooling part;

[0037]FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating a second cooling partinstalled in the apparatus of FIG. 4;

[0038]FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating areaction gas introducing line and an exhausting line installed in theapparatus of FIG. 4; and

[0039]FIG. 11 is a timing chart illustrating a temperature-time cyclefor etching a wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] Korean Patent Application No. 2001-59323, filed Sep. 25, 2001,and entitled: “Method for Processing Wafer and Apparatus for Performingthe Same,” is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0041] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042]FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a wafer processing method according toan embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 3, in step S30, an ambient temperature near awafer is adjusted to a first temperature. Preferably, the firsttemperature for removing a native oxide layer is adjusted to about15-30° C. The temperature is adjusted using a cooling agent. As for thecooling agent, liquefied nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water, or the likemay be used. Either one cooling agent or a mixture form of more than onecooling agents can be used.

[0044] In the next step, S32, the wafer is processed at the firsttemperature. For example, a material such as a native oxide layer formedon the wafer is etched. The etching of the native oxide layer is,preferably, implemented as follows.

[0045] A reaction gas is introduced onto the wafer at the firsttemperature. The reaction gas is introduced onto the wafer using acarrier gas. The reaction gas is introduced onto the wafer at an excitedstate using a remote plasma generating device. After exciting thereaction gas as plasma, the excited reaction gas is introduced to etchthe native oxide. The reaction gas includes a fluoride-containingcompound to facilitate the etching of the oxide. Preferably, thereaction gas includes a fluoride-containing compound such as NF₃. As forthe carrier gas, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, or a mixture thereof can beused. Generally, the native oxide layer formed on the wafer has athickness of about several Å. Considering the thickness of the nativeoxide layer, the etching of the oxide layer is implemented for about 20to 40 seconds, and more preferably for about 30 seconds.

[0046] Then, in step S34, the ambient temperature near the wafer israpidly raised from the first temperature to a second temperature. Atthis time, by-products produced during processing the wafer (in stepS32) are partially removed from the wafer and driven out from theambient of the wafer. Preferably, the second temperature ranges fromabout 100 to 200° C. In addition, a rising rate of the temperature usedis preferably about 35 to 92.5° C. per minute. The time needed foraccomplishing the rapid rise of the temperature from the firsttemperature to the second temperature is within five minutes, andpreferably within two minutes. Preferably, the temperature is raisedusing a heating source such as a halogen lamp.

[0047] Next, in step S36, most of the by-products produced duringprocessing the wafer (in step S32) are separated from the wafer byheating the wafer at the second temperature. If the by-products are notseparated from the wafer, the by-products undesirably attach onto thewafer. Therefore, the by-products should be removed through vaporizationby heating the wafer. The vaporization step helps to drive out theby-products from the ambient of the wafer and also from the innerportion of the space. Through the implementation of steps S34 and S36,the by-products are completely separated from the wafer. The timerequired for partially and then fully separating the by-products (sum ofthe temperature rise time and the second temperature stabilized time) isabout 150 to 210 seconds, and more preferably about 180 seconds (3minutes).

[0048] Next, in step S38, the ambient temperature near the wafer israpidly lowered from the second temperature to the first temperature.Preferably, the first temperature at step S38 is the same as the firsttemperature at steps S30 and S32. Preferably, the fall rate of thetemperature in step S38 is relatively slower than the rising rate of thetemperature in step S34. However, considering the maximum coolingefficiency, the temperature lowering rate (or falling rate) ispreferably set to about 14 to 37° C. per minute. It is further preferredthat the lowering from the second temperature to the first temperatureis accomplished as soon as possible. However, the time needed for thelowering of the temperature is adjusted to about five minutesconsidering the cooling efficiency. For the lowering of the temperature,the same cooling agent used for adjusting the first temperature at stepS30 is used. That is, a cooling agent such as liquefied nitrogen, carbondioxide, or a mixture thereof may be used. In addition, cooling watermay also be used. As described above, a thermal stress applied to thewafer at step S36 can be reduced by lowering the temperature to thefirst temperature.

[0049] Steps S30 to S38 are implemented in-situ within the same space.Accordingly, the processing of the wafer is implemented within a spaceby adjusting the inner temperature appropriately. As a result, themethod for processing the wafer according to the present invention maybe applied for processing a plurality of wafers simultaneously. Forexample, about 25 to 100 wafers may be processed simultaneously.

[0050] As described above, a plurality of wafers may be processedin-situ within a space through controlling temperature thereinappropriately. Accordingly, a producing efficiency of a semiconductordevice may be increased.

[0051]FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus 40 forprocessing a wafer W according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 4, the apparatus 40 for processing a wafer Wincludes a first chamber 400 and a second chamber 410. The first chamber400 includes a receiving space 400 a for receiving a wafer W.Alternatively, within the receiving space 400 a, a plurality of wafers Wmay be loaded simultaneously. In particular, a boat 420, into whichabout 25 to 100 wafers W may be loaded, can be installed in the space400 a.

[0053] The second chamber 410 receives and encloses the first chamber400. Accordingly, an inner portion of the second chamber 410 faces theouter portion of the first chamber 400. An adiabatic vacuum space 410 ais formed between the second chamber 410 and the first chamber 400. Theadiabatic vacuum space 410 a functions to uniformly disperse heat intothe receiving space 400 a of the first chamber 400 during processing ofthe wafer W and to restrain release of the heat to the exterior of thesecond chamber 410.

[0054] In addition, the thickness of the wall of the first chamber 400is preferably thinner than that of the second chamber 410. This mayincrease the transferring rate of the heat applied into the receivingspace 400 a of the first chamber 400.

[0055] The apparatus 40 includes a heating part 430 for applying heatinto the receiving space 400 a of the first chamber 400. The heatingpart 430 is provided at the inner surface of the second chamber 410 inparallel with a central axis of the second chamber 410. Once a radiantheat is generated from the heating part 430 to heat the first chamber400, the heat is applied into the receiving space 400 a and this heat isapplied to the wafer W received in the receiving space 400 a. The firstchamber 400 and the second chamber 410 are manufactured from a metalhaving a good heat conductivity such as aluminum and aluminum alloy.

[0056]FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view for illustrating aheating part 430 in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 5, the heating part 430preferably has a structure of a halogen lamp assembly. Typically, thehalogen lamp assembly includes a halogen lamp 430 a installed inparallel with an axis direction of the second chamber 410. The halogenlamp assembly further includes a cover 430 b for covering the halogenlamp 430 a. The halogen lamp 430 a is protected from the exterior by thecover 430 b. The cover 430 b is formed-from a heat resistant andtransparent material such as quartz. Therefore, the halogen lamp 430 agenerates the radiant heat and thus generated radiant heat passes thetransparent cover 430 b to be applied into the first chamber 400.

[0057] The heating part 430 is provided at the inner surface of thesecond chamber 410. In FIG. 5, the halogen lamp assembly preferablyincludes two halogen lamps 430 a. However, the number of the halogenlamps 430 a of the heating part 430 may be two or more, limited only byan appropriate amount of heat required into the receiving space 400 a ofthe first chamber 400 to obtain the given process condition. Accordingto another embodiment of the present invention, a portion of the sidewall of the second chamber 410 is cut and the heating part 430 isinserted into the cut portion.

[0058] The wafer processing apparatus 40 includes a cooling agentcirculating line 440 a as a first cooling part for cooling the firstchamber 400. The cooling agent circulating line 440 a can effectivelyand rapidly lower the temperature in the first chamber 400. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the cooling agent circulating line 440 a isprovided at the outer surface of the first chamber 400 in parallel witha central axis of the first chamber 400.

[0059]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a coolingapparatus 440 including the cooling agent circulating line 440 a as afirst cooling part. Referring to FIG. 6, the cooling agent circulatingline 440 a which is the first cooling part, is installed in parallelwith an axis direction of the first chamber 400 so that the coolingagent passes through along the axis direction of the first chamber 400.In particular, the cooling agent circulating line 440 a includes aplurality of lines provided at the outer surface of the first chamber400 so that the cooling agent flows along the axis direction of thefirst chamber 400. Adjacent lines of the cooling agent circulating line440 a are alternately connected at the upper or lower end portions ofthe first chamber 400 to complete one circulating line 440 a, as shownin FIG. 6. According to this embodiment, adjacent lines are alternatelyconnected at the upper or lower end points, however, it is sufficientthat at least two adjacent lines are connected at one end portion inorder to pass the cooling agent. An inlet for introducing the coolingagent into the cooling agent circulating line 440 a and an outlet forexhausting the cooling agent can be formed at one upper or lower endportion of the first chamber 400 by forming the cooling agentcirculating line 440 a as described above.

[0060] According to another embodiment of the present invention, thecooling agent circulating line 400 a may be wound around the outersurface of the first chamber 400 as a coil shape. At this time, an inletof the cooling agent is formed at the upper end portion of the firstchamber 400 and an outlet of the cooling agent is formed at the lowerend portion.

[0061] The cooling apparatus 440 may further include a cooling agentstorage portion 440 b for storing the cooling agent to be provided tothe cooling agent circulating line 440 a. In addition, valves 440 c forcontrolling the provision of the cooling agent to the cooling agentcirculating line 440 can be further installed. Valves 440 c areconnected to both inlet and outlet portions of the cooling agentcirculating line 440 a. When the first chamber 400 is heated, the supplyof the cooling agent is restrained by shutting the valves 440 c.

[0062] By circulating the cooling agent along the cooling agentcirculating line 440 a, the first chamber 440 can be quickly cooled.That is, the lowering of the temperature of the first chamber 400 andthe cooling of the heating part 430 can be simultaneously accomplishedusing the first cooling part of the cooling agent circulating line 440a.

[0063] The cooling apparatus 440 further includes a separated line 440d, which is separated from the cooling agent circulating line 440 a andvalves 440 e installed at the separated line 440 d. The separated line440 d furnishes the cooling agent circulating line 440 a with a purginggas. If the remaining cooling agent in the first cooling part 440 iscompletely removed through purging immediately before driving theheating part 430, the heating efficiency of the heating part 430 ismaximized. If the cooling agent remains in the first cooling part 440,the heating efficiency of the heating part 430 is somewhat lowered.

[0064]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a firstcooling part 440. Referring to FIG. 7, the first cooling part, that is,the cooling agent circulating line 440 a can be provided at the outersurface of the second chamber 410. Once, the cooling agent circulatesthrough the first cooling part 440 a, the second chamber 410 is quicklycooled in advance, and then, the second chamber 410 absorbs heat fromthe first chamber 400 to cool the first chamber 400. As explained abovefor FIG. 6, the cooling agent circulating line 440 a may be installed atthe outer surface of the second chamber 410 either in parallel with anaxis direction of the first/second chamber as shown in FIG. 7 or woundaround the outer surface of the second chamber 410.

[0065] According to the second embodiment of the present invention, thecooling agent circulating line 440 a can be installed both at the outersurface of the first and second chambers 400 and 410. At this time, thefirst chamber 400 heated by the heating part 430 and the second chamber410 to which the heating part 430 is attached can be cooled at the sametime to improve the cooling efficiency.

[0066]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for illustrating anotherembodiment of a heating part 430 and a first cooling part 440. Referringto FIG. 8, the cooling agent circulating line 440 a of the first coolingmeans (apparatus) 440 is installed along an axis direction of theheating part 430 and is provided along both sides of the heating part430 and along upper or lower portion of the heating part 430. Theheating part 430 and the cooling agent circulating line 440 a of thefirst cooling part 440 illustrated in FIG. 8 are attached to the secondchamber 410. That is, the cooling agent circulating line 440 a is woundon the outer surface of the second chamber 410 and then the side wall ofthe second chamber is cut open. Then, the heating part 430 is providedin the cut portion so that a quartz cover 430 b of the heating part 430faces the outer surface of the first chamber 400. In the drawing, threelamp assemblies used for the heating part 430 are illustrated. As shownin FIG. 8, in order to improve the cooling efficiency with respect tothe heating part 430, the cooling agent circulating line 440 a isinstalled to pass over both sides and the lower portion of the heatingpart 430.

[0067] The apparatus for processing a wafer 40 according to the presentinvention includes a second cooling part 450 to directly lower thetemperature of the wafer W received in the first chamber 400. The secondcooling part 450 is installed in the first chamber 400 in parallel withthe axis direction of the first chamber 400. In addition, the secondcooling part 450 is provided near the wafer W in the first chamber 400.

[0068]FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second cooling part450. Referring to FIG. 9, the second cooling part 450 is provided sothat cooling gas is sprayed to the side portions of the wafers Wreceived in the first chamber 400. Typically, the second cooling part450 includes a spraying nozzle 450 a having holes 450 b facing the sideportions of the wafer W. The spraying nozzle 450 a is connected to acooling gas storage portion 455. The cooling gas provided from thecooling gas storage portion 455 of the second cooling part 450 issprayed to the side portions of the wafers W through the holes 450 b ofthe spraying nozzle 450 a. At this time, the cooling gas is preferablysprayed to the space between the wafers W. The number of sprayingnozzles 450 a may be two or more. Similarly, the number of holes 450 bin each spraying nozzle 450 a may be two or more. The position and thenumber of the spraying nozzles 450 a and the holes 450 b can beappropriately determined considering the uniformity and the requiredspeed of the cooling of the wafer W.

[0069] The temperature of the wafer W can be rapidly raised using theheating part 430 of the wafer processing apparatus 40 according to thepresent invention. Also, the temperature of the wafer W can be rapidlylowered using the first and the second cooling parts 440 a and 450.Accordingly, the plurality of the wafers W loaded on the boat 420 may beadvantageously processed.

[0070] The wafer processing apparatus 40 may further include a rotatingpart 460 installed at the upper portion of the first chamber 400 (asshown in FIG. 4). The rotating part 460 fixes the boat 420 received inthe first chamber 400 and then rotates the boat 420. The wafer W rotatesat a constant speed by means of the rotating part 460 to uniformlytransfer the heat applied to the wafer W and to uniformly cool the waferW.

[0071] The apparatus for processing the wafer 40 may further include areaction gas introducing line 470 and an exhausting line 480 connectedto the first chamber 400.

[0072]FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining areaction gas introducing line 470 and an exhausting line 480. Thereaction gas introducing line 470 is connected to one portion of thefirst chamber 400 and the reaction gas is introduced into the firstchamber 400 through the introducing line 470 when processing the waferW. The exhausting line 480 is connected to the first chamber 400 at theopposite portion of the introducing line 470, for exhausting by-productsproduced during processing the wafer W. Particularly, in addition toexhausting out the by-products, the exhausting line 480 functions toachieve vacuum in the receiving space 400 a in the first chamber 400.That is, an element for vacuum pumping such as a vacuum pump (not shown)is connected to one side of the exhausting line 480 to achieve vacuum inthe receiving space 400 a or to exhaust the by-products in the receivingspace 400 a. The exhausting line 480 may be further provided with anauxiliary exhausting line 480 a connected to the adiabatic vacuum space(as shown in FIG. 4). Accordingly, the adiabatic vacuum space 410 a alsocan be evacuated during forming vacuum in the first chamber 400. Theexhausting line 480 is preferably installed near the heating part 430because the by-products can be advantageously exhausted out at a portionof a higher temperature than the peripheral portion at a lowertemperature.

[0073] The apparatus 40 for processing the wafer may further include aload lock chamber 490 positioned under the first chamber 400. The loadlock chamber 490 maintains the wafers W to be received in the firstchamber 400 in stand-by and stores processed wafers W. The load lockchamber 490 is provided with a gas introducing line 490 a forintroducing an atmospheric gas into the load lock chamber 490 duringloading and unloading of the wafers and a gas exhausting line 490 b forachieving vacuum in the load lock chamber 490. When loading the wafers Winto the first chamber 400, the inside of the load lock chamber 490 ismade vacuous to accommodate the wafers W to the vacuum environment ofthe first chamber 400 and vacuum in the first chamber 400 is not brokenduring loading of the wafers W into the first chamber 400. In addition,when unloading the wafers W from the first chamber 400, the atmosphericgas is introduced through the gas introducing line 490 a to form anatmospheric pressure in the load lock chamber 490 to accommodate thewafers W to the exterior environment. Therefore, a stress applied to thewafers W due to a sudden change of the environment can be minimized.

[0074] The load lock chamber 490 includes a gate valve 490 c provided atone side thereof. The wafers W are transported into the load lockchamber 490 or taken out of the load lock chamber 490 through the gatevalve 490 c. In addition, the load lock chamber 490 includes a slotvalve 490 d for implementing opening/closing operation duringtransporting the wafers W into the first chamber 400. The slot valve 490d is opened during transporting the wafers W while closed duringprocessing the wafers W. The slot valve 490 d separates the firstchamber 400 and the load lock chamber 490.

[0075] The apparatus 40 for processing the wafer is installed under theload lock chamber 490 with a wafer transporting portion 500 for up anddown driving of the wafer boat 420. Since the wafer transporting portion500 moves upwards and downwards, a lifter is preferably utilized. Thetransporting portion 500 transports a boat on which the wafers W areloaded between the first chamber 400 and the load lock chamber 490.

[0076] The apparatus 40 for processing the wafer may include a remoteplasma generating device 510 connected to the first chamber 400. Theremote plasma generating device 510 excites the reaction gas that isintroduced into the first chamber 400. Thus excited reaction gas isintroduced upon the wafers W in a plasma state to process the wafers.

[0077] By using the apparatus for processing the wafer according to thepresent invention, a plurality of wafers W can be processed in-situ.Accordingly, when the plurality of wafers W are etched using theprocessing apparatus, the productivity can be maximized.

[0078] According to the method for etching of the present invention, thewafer can be processed by applying the same method for processing thewafer as described above, except that changing a condition on theapplying temperature and a plurality of wafers are used. In addition, anapparatus for etching also has a construction similar to the apparatusfor processing the wafer.

[0079] When an optional material formed on a wafer is etched using themethod and apparatus for etching according to the present invention, theproductivity can be improved. In particular, when the optional materialis a native oxide, the etching method and the etching apparatusaccording to the present invention are quite appropriate.

[0080] During the manufacture of a semiconductor device having aplurality of wiring lines in a structure thereof, an exposure to theatmosphere frequently occurs between process steps. Hence, a nativeoxide is grown on the wafer. Since the native oxide becomes a source forgenerating a failure of the semiconductor device, the native oxide ispreferably removed. At this time, the productivity can be maximized whenthe etching method and the etching apparatus of the present invention isapplied to etch the native oxide formed on a plurality of waferssimultaneously. In addition, the etching of the native oxide isaccomplished in-situ in the same space, the productivity can be furtherimproved. Since the etching apparatus may be independently installedfrom other semiconductor processing apparatuses, spatial and economiclimitations may be inevitable. However, when compared with theconventional apparatus in which each process function is performedseparately by a different apparatus, the spatial and economic limitationis somewhat lessened.

[0081] Etching of Native Oxide

[0082] An embodiment of etching a native oxide using the etching methodand etching apparatus according to the present invention will bedescribed in detail below with reference to FIG. 11.

[0083]FIG. 11 is a timing chart for explaining a temperature changeduring etching a wafer according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0084] A semiconductor device having a plurality of wiring lines on awafer is manufactured. The semiconductor device includes the pluralityof wiring lines and a contact structure. In order to form the pluralityof wiring lines, the wafer is frequently exposed to the atmosphere.Silicon on the wafer makes contact with O₂ in the atmosphere and anative oxide is grown at the top portion of the wafer, which also is abottom portion of the contact.

[0085] The wafers W, on which the native oxide is grown, aresubsequently loaded on a boat 420. After loading, for example, about 25to 100 wafers on the boat 420, the boat 420 is transported into a loadlock chamber 490 of the etching apparatus 40. In order to introduce theboat 420, on which the wafers W are loaded, into the chamber 490, a gatevalve 490 c of the load lock chamber 490 is opened. After introducingthe boat 420 into the load lock chamber 490, the gate valve 490 c isclosed. Then, the inner portion of the load lock chamber 490 isevacuated by exhausting through a load lock exhausting line 490 b. Atthis time, the vacuum atmosphere pressure of the load lock chamber 490is almost at the same degree as that of the first chamber 400 in whichan etching is to be implemented.

[0086] After achieving the vacuum atmosphere in the load lock chamber490, the slot valve 490 d of the load lock chamber 490 is opened. Next,a transporting part 500 is moved upward to transport the boat 420 into areceiving space 400 a of the first chamber 400. Then, the rotating part460 grasps the upper portion of the boat 420. Next, the transportingportion 500 is moved downward and the slot valve 490 d is closed. As aresult, the boat 420, on which e.g. 100 wafers W are loaded, is receivedin the first chamber 400.

[0087] Thereafter, the inside of the first chamber 400 in which the boat420 including the wafers is received achieves vacuum by means of anexhausting line 480. At this time, an adiabatic space 410 a between thefirst and the second chamber 400 and 410 also is exhausted through theauxiliary exhausting line 480 a to achieve vacuum.

[0088] In step S110, the temperature of the first chamber 400 isadjusted to about 20° C. This temperature is appropriate forimplementing an etching operation of the native oxide. At this time,since the boat 420 rotates by means of a rotating part 460, the waferhas a uniform temperature distribution. The temperature is controlled bya cooling agent, which is circulating within a cooling agent circulatingline 440 a of the first cooling part. For example, a liquefied nitrogen,liquefied carbon dioxide, or cooling water circulate in the coolingagent circulating line 440 a to control the temperature. In addition, anitrogen gas may be sprayed through a second cooling part 450 to thewafers W loaded on the boat 420 to control the temperature.

[0089] Next, an etching gas is introduced into the first chamber 400through a reaction gas introducing line 470 for etching the native oxideat about 20° C. Accordingly, in step S112, the native oxide formed onthe wafer is etched. As for the etching gas a fluoride-containingcompound, such as NF₃, is used and as for a carrier gas, a mixture gasof nitrogen and hydrogen is used. The etching gas is excited using aremote plasma generating device 510 and then is introduced into thefirst chamber 400. The etching of the native oxide is implemented forabout 30 seconds to etch about several Å of the native oxide formed onthe wafer.

[0090] After etching the native oxide, in step S114, the cooling agentcirculation in line 440 a of the first cooling part and the gas sprayingthrough the second cooling part 450 are stopped and the temperature ofthe first chamber is rapidly raised to about 150° C. At this time,before raising the temperature, remaining cooling agent in the coolingagent circulating line 440 a of the first cooling part is completelyremoved by providing a purging gas through a separated line 440 d (shownin FIG. 6). The removal of the cooling agent improves the raisingefficiency of the temperature. At this time, the rapid rise in thetemperature is accomplished within about 120 seconds. A rising rate ofthe temperature is about 65° C./min. The rapid rise of the temperatureis implemented using a heating part 430. With the rise in thetemperature, by-products produced during etching of the native oxide,such as silicon fluoride compounds are vaporized and exhausted out.During the rising of the temperature, by-products are partiallyseparated from the wafer.

[0091] In step S116, the first chamber 400 and the wafers are heated atthe temperature of 150° C. By maintaining this temperature, most of theby-products produced during etching the native oxide, such as siliconfluoride compounds, are vaporized and exhausted out through the reactiongas exhausting line 480. The by-products are completely separated fromthe wafer and removed through the exhausting line 480. Therefore, anattachment of the by-products onto the wafer and to the first chamber400 can be restrained. At this time, the temperature rising time and themaintaining time of the high temperature (time for implementing stepsS114 and S116) combined is about 180 seconds.

[0092] Thereafter, in step S118, the temperature of the first and secondchamber 400 and 410 is rapidly lowered to about 20° C. That is, thetemperature is lowered from 150° C. to 20° C. The lowering of thetemperature is accomplished by means of the cooling agent circulatingline 440 a of the first cooling part and the cooling gas spraying of thesecond cooling part 450. The cooling agent circulates along the coolingagent circulating line 440 a of the first cooling part to cool the firstchamber 400 and lower the temperature of the inner portion of the firstchamber 400. In addition, the wafer W is cooled and the temperature ofthe inner portion of the first chamber 400 is lowered by spraying thecooling gas to the wafer W through the second cooling part 450. Thelowering of the temperature is accomplished within about 300 seconds. Atthis time, the lowering rate of the temperature is about 26° C./min.

[0093] In step S120, the temperature of wafers that completed theetching of the native oxide is stabilized at about 20° C. Aftercompleting the etching step, the wafers are carried out of the firstchamber 400. With the lowering of the temperature, the slot valve 490 dpositioned between the first chamber 400 and the load lock chamber 490is opened. Next, the transporting portion 500 is moved upward to supportthe boat 420 on which the wafers W are loaded and the boat 420 isseparated from the rotating portion 460. The transporting portion 500 ismoved downward so that the boat 420 is received in the load lock chamber490. Then, the slot valve 490 d is closed.

[0094] Next, an atmospheric gas, such as nitrogen gas is introducedthrough an atmospheric gas introducing line 490 a to maintain the loadlock chamber 490 at the atmospheric pressure. While maintaining theatmospheric pressure, a gate valve 490 c is opened and the boat 420holding wafers W is carried out from the load lock chamber 490. Byrepeating steps S110 to S120, the native oxide formed on a plurality ofwafers is etched.

[0095] As described above, the native oxide formed on the plurality ofwafers can be etched using the method and apparatus for etching of thepresent invention. In addition, the wafer and the apparatus can beprotected from the by-products through an appropriate control of thetemperature. In particular, a plurality of wafers can be processedin-situ using the method and apparatus of the present invention. Sincethe etching of the native oxide is carried out thorough a dry etchingmethod according to the etching method and the etching apparatus of thepresent invention, damage to the wafer can be minimized.

[0096] Therefore, processing of the wafer can be advantageouslyimplemented according to the present invention. In particular,alternating treatments at a room temperature and at a high temperaturecan be advantageously accomplished in-situ.

[0097] In addition, the native oxide formed on the wafer is easilyetched. In particular, since the etching of the native oxide isimplemented with respect to a plurality of wafers, the productivity isimproved. However, the present invention can be applied for themanufacture of a semiconductor device with respect to only one wafer.The method of the present invention is particularly appropriate for usein the manufacture of the recent semiconductor device structure havingmultiple wiring lines.

[0098] Further, since in the conventional process apparatus forprocessing a wafer and etching are independent, the apparatus of thepresent invention where both etching and other processing(heating/cooling) can be performed in-situ in the same space may beadvantageously incorporated into the manufacture of the semiconductordevice. Accordingly, the spatial and economic limitations are minimized.

[0099] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed herein and, although specific terms are employed, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose oflimitation. Accordingly, it will be understood that the presentinvention should not be limited to these preferred embodiments butvarious changes and modifications can be made by one of ordinary skillin the art within the spirit and scope of the present invention ashereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for processing a wafer comprising: i)adjusting an ambient temperature near a wafer to a first temperature;ii) introducing a reaction gas onto the wafer at the first temperaturefor processing the wafer; iii) rapidly raising the ambient temperaturenear the wafer to a second temperature higher than the first temperaturefor partially separating by-products produced during the processing ofthe wafer in (ii) from the wafer; and iv) maintaining the secondtemperature for separating most of the by-products from the ambient ofthe wafer, wherein i) to iv) are implemented in-situ within a samespace.
 2. A method for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe first temperature is about 15 to 30° C.
 3. A method for processing awafer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ambient temperature near thewafer is adjusted to the first temperature using a cooling agentselected from the group consisting of liquefied nitrogen, carbon dioxideand cooling water.
 4. A method for processing a wafer as claimed inclaim 3, wherein the cooling agent is in a mixture form of more than onecooling agents.
 5. A method for processing a wafer as claimed in claim1, wherein processing the wafer includes etching a native oxide layerformed on the wafer using a reaction gas.
 6. A method for processing awafer as claimed in claim 5, wherein etching the native oxide layercomprises: a) using the reaction gas including a fluoride-containingcompound, b) using one of a carrier gas selected from the groupconsisting of nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas and a mixture thereof, and c)using a remote plasma.
 7. A method for processing a wafer as claimed inclaim 6, wherein the fluoride-containing compound is NF₃.
 8. A methodfor processing a wafer as claimed in claim 5, wherein the etching of thenative oxide layer is implemented for about 20 to 40 seconds.
 9. Amethod for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 8, wherein the etchingof the native oxide layer is implemented for about 30 seconds.
 10. Amethod for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secondtemperature is about 100 to 200° C.
 11. A method for processing a waferas claimed in claim 1, wherein a temperature rising rate from the firsttemperature to the second temperature is about 35 to 92.5° C. perminute.
 12. A method for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 11,wherein the ambient temperature near the wafer reaches to the secondtemperature using a halogen lamp.
 13. A method for processing a wafer asclaimed in claim 1, wherein most of the by-products are separated fromthe wafer during iv) through a vaporization.
 14. A method for processinga wafer as claimed in claim 1, wherein iii) and iv) are implemented fora combined time of about 150 to 210 seconds.
 15. A method for processinga wafer as claimed in claim 14, wherein iii) and iv) are implemented fora combined time of about 180 seconds.
 16. A method for processing awafer as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of wafers is processedsimultaneously.
 17. A method for processing a wafer as claimed in claim1, further comprising: v) lowering the ambient temperature near thewafer from the second temperature to the first temperature.
 18. A methodfor processing a wafer as claimed in claim 17, wherein a temperaturelowering rate from the second temperature to the first temperature is inthe range of about 14 to 37° C. per minute.
 19. A method for processinga wafer as claimed in claim 17, wherein the lowering of the ambienttemperature to the first temperature is accomplished using any one of acooling agent selected from the group consisting of liquefied nitrogen,carbon dioxide and cooling water.
 20. A method for processing a wafer asclaimed in claim 19, wherein the cooling agent is in a mixture form ofmore than one cooling agent.
 21. A method for processing a wafer asclaimed in claim 17, wherein v) is implemented in-situ with i) to iv)within the same space.
 22. A method for processing a wafer as claimed inclaim 17, wherein a plurality of wafers are processed simultaneously.23. A method for etching a predetermined layer formed on a wafercomprising: i) adjusting a temperature in a chamber, in which aplurality of wafers on which a predetermined material layer is formedare introduced, to a temperature of about 15 to 30° C. suitable foretching the predetermined material layer; ii) introducing an etching gasinto the chamber at a temperature of about 15 to 30° C. for dry etchingthe predetermined material layer formed on the wafer; iii) rapidlyraising the temperature in the chamber to a temperature of about 100 to200° C. for heating the wafer to partially vaporize by-products producedduring implementing the dry etching and to drive out the by-productsfrom an ambient of the wafer; iv) maintaining the temperature in thechamber at about 100 to 200° C. for vaporizing and driving out theby-products from the ambient of the wafer and from an inner portion ofthe chamber; and v) lowering and re-adjusting the temperature in thechamber to a temperature of about 15 to 30° C. suitable for implementingthe etching, wherein i) to v) are implemented in-situ within a samespace.
 24. A method for etching a predetermined layer formed on a waferas claimed in claim 23, wherein the temperature for implementing theetching is accomplished using any one of a cooling agent selected fromthe group consisting of liquefied nitrogen, carbon dioxide and coolingwater.
 25. A method for etching a predetermined layer formed on a waferas claimed in claim 24, wherein the cooling agent is in a mixture formof more than one cooling agent.
 26. A method for etching a predeterminedlayer formed on a wafer as claimed in claim 23, wherein thepredetermined material includes a native oxide and an etching of thenative oxide comprises: a) using a reaction gas including afluoride-containing compound, b) using any one of a carrier gas selectedfrom the group consisting of nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas and a mixturethereof, and c) using a remote plasma.
 27. A method for etching apredetermined layer formed on a wafer as claimed in claim 26, whereinthe fluoride-containing compound is NF₃.
 28. A method for etching apredetermined layer formed on a wafer as claimed in claim 26, whereinthe etching of the native oxide is implemented for about 20 to 40seconds.
 29. A method for etching a predetermined layer formed on awafer as claimed in claim 28, wherein the etching of the native oxide isimplemented for about 30 seconds.
 30. A method for etching apredetermined layer formed on a wafer as claimed in claim 23, wherein arising rate of the temperature in the chamber from a range of about 15to 30° C. to a range of about 100 to 200° C. is about 35 to 92.5° C. perminute.
 31. A method for etching a predetermined layer formed on a waferas claimed in claim 23, wherein iii) and iv) are implemented for acombined time of about 150 to 210 seconds.
 32. A method for etching apredetermined layer formed on a wafer as claimed in claim 31, whereiniii) and iv) are implemented for a combined time of about 180 seconds.33. A method for etching a predetermined layer formed on a wafer asclaimed in claim 23, wherein a lowering rate of the temperature in thechamber from the range of 100 to 200° C. to the range of 15 to 30° C. isabout 14 to 37° C. per minute.
 34. An apparatus for processing a wafercomprising: a first chamber for receiving a wafer therein; a secondchamber for receiving the first chamber therein, an inner surface of thesecond chamber facing an outer surface of the first chamber for formingan adiabatic vacuum space in-between the second chamber and the firstchamber; a heating means for providing the first chamber with a radiantheat to heat the first chamber; a first cooling means provided at anouter portion of the first chamber for cooling the first chamber; and asecond cooling means installed in the first chamber for cooling thewafer and the first chamber.
 35. An apparatus for processing a wafer asclaimed in claim 34, wherein the first cooling means is provided on anouter surface of the first chamber.
 36. An apparatus for processing awafer as claimed in claim 35, wherein the first cooling means includes aplurality of lines aligned along a direction of an axis of the firstchamber so as to flow a cooling agent along the direction of the axis ofthe first chamber, and at least two adjacent lines are connected at oneend portion of the first chamber to form a cooling agent circulatingsystem, and the first cooling means further comprises a cooling agentstorage portion connected to the cooling agent circulating system andvalves provided at the cooling agent circulating line for controlling anin/out flow of the cooling agent.
 37. An apparatus for processing awafer as claimed in claim 36, wherein the adjacent lines in theplurality of lines are alternately connected at the upper or lower endportions of the first chamber.
 38. An apparatus for processing a waferas claimed in claim 36, wherein the cooling agent circulating line iswound around the outer surface of the first chamber as a coil shape withan inlet of the cooling agent formed at the upper end portion of thefirst chamber and an outlet formed at the lower end portion of the firstchamber.
 39. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 36,wherein the first cooling means further comprises a separated line fromthe cooling agent circulating line with valves connected to theseparated line for providing a purging gas into the cooling agentcirculating line.
 40. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed inclaim 34, wherein the first cooling means is provided at an outersurface of the second chamber with a plurality of lines aligned alongthe direction of the axis of the second chamber, and at least twoadjacent lines are connected at one end portion of the second chamber toform a cooling agent circulating system, and the first cooling meansfurther comprises a cooling agent storage portion connected to thecooling agent circulating system and valves provided at the coolingagent circulating line for controlling an in/out flow of the coolingagent.
 41. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 40,wherein the cooling agent circulating line is wound around the outersurface of the second chamber as a coil shape with an inlet of thecooling agent formed at the upper end portion of the second chamber andan outlet formed at the lower end portion of the second chamber.
 42. Anapparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 40, wherein thefirst cooling means further comprises a separated line from the coolingagent circulating line with valves connected to the separated line forproviding a purging gas into the cooling agent circulating line.
 43. Anapparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 34, wherein thefirst cooling means is provided at the outer surfaces of both the firstand the second chambers.
 44. An apparatus for processing a wafer asclaimed in claim 34, wherein the first chamber includes a space forreceiving a plurality of wafers and the wafers are received in the firstchamber using a boat for loading the wafers.
 45. An apparatus forprocessing a wafer as claimed in claim 34, wherein the first chamber hasa thickness thinner than that of the second chamber.
 46. An apparatusfor processing a wafer as claimed in claim 34, wherein the first chamberand the second chamber are made of a metal having a good thermalconductivity.
 47. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed inclaim 46, wherein the metal is aluminum or an aluminum alloy.
 48. Anapparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 34, wherein theheating means is a halogen lamp assembly provided at an inner surface ofthe second chamber in parallel with an axis direction of the secondchamber.
 49. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 48,wherein the halogen lamp assembly comprises: a halogen lamp provided inparallel with the axis direction of the second chamber; and a cover forcovering and protecting the halogen lamp from an exterior.
 50. Anapparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 48, wherein anumber of halogen lamps in the halogen lamp assembly is two or more. 51.An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 48, wherein thehalogen lamp assembly has a protective cover made of a heat resistantand transparent material.
 52. An apparatus for processing a wafer asclaimed in claim 51, wherein the protective cover material is quartz.53. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 48, whereina portion of the sidewall of the second chamber is cut and the heatingmeans is inserted into the cut portion.
 54. An apparatus for processinga wafer as claimed in claim 34, wherein the first cooling means isinstalled in an axis direction of the heating means along both sides ofthe heating means and also along an upper or a lower portion of theheating means with the heating means and a cooling agent circulationline of the first cooling means attached to the second chamber.
 55. Anapparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 34, wherein thesecond cooling means is provided in the first chamber in parallel withan axis direction of the first chamber and a temperature of the wafer islowered by the spraying of a cooling gas toward a side portion of thewafer received in the first chamber.
 56. An apparatus for processing awafer as claimed in claim 55, wherein the second cooling means is aspraying nozzle having holes at positions facing the side portion of thewafer and further comprises a cooling gas storage portion connected tothe spraying nozzle for providing the cooling gas to the sprayingnozzle.
 57. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 56,wherein a number of the spraying nozzles is two or more.
 58. Anapparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 34, furthercomprising a rotating means for rotating the wafer received in the firstchamber.
 59. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 34,further comprising: a reaction gas introducing line connected to thefirst chamber for introducing a reaction gas for processing the waferreceived in the first chamber; and an exhausting line connected to thefirst chamber for exhausting a by-product produced during processing thewafer using the reaction gas and for evacuating the first chamber. 60.An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 59, wherein theexhausting line is further provided with an auxiliary exhausting lineconnected to the adiabatic vacuum space for evacuating the adiabaticvacuum space.
 61. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed inclaim 34, further comprising: a load-lock chamber connected to the firstchamber for storing a processed wafer and for maintaining the wafer tobe received in the first chamber in stand-by; and a transporting meansinstalled under the load-lock chamber for transporting the wafer betweenthe first chamber and the load-lock chamber through an up-and-downdriving.
 62. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimed in claim 34,wherein the apparatus further comprises a remote plasma generatingelement connected to the first chamber and the wafer is processed usinga remote reaction gas in a plasma state generated by the remote plasmagenerating element.
 63. An apparatus for processing a wafer as claimedin claim 61, further comprising: a slot valve between the load-lockchamber and the first chamber for opening and closing of the load-lockchamber to the first chamber; a gate valve at one side of the load-lockchamber to load and unload the boat into and out of the load-lockchamber; and a gas introducing line and a gas exhausting line connectedto the load-lock chamber to maintain atmospheric pressure or vacuum inthe load-lock chamber.
 64. An apparatus for etching a predeterminedlayer formed on a wafer, comprising: a first chamber for receiving aboat on which a plurality of wafers are loaded and for receiving anetching gas to etch a predetermined material formed on the wafer; asecond chamber for receiving the first chamber, an inner surface of thesecond chamber facing an outer surface of the first chamber to form anadiabatic vacuum space in-between the first and the second chambers; aheating means provided at an inner surface of the second chamber forheating the first chamber and the wafer; a first cooling means providedat an outer surface of the first chamber for cooling the first chamber;a second cooling means provided in the first chamber for cooling thefirst chamber and the wafer; a rotating means for rotating the boat foruniformly heating and cooling the wafers loaded on the boat; a load-lockchamber connected to the first chamber for storing and maintaining theboat in stand-by; and a transporting means provided at the load-lockchamber for transporting the boat between the first chamber and theload-lock chamber.
 65. An apparatus for etching as claimed in claim 64,wherein the first chamber has a thickness thinner than that of thesecond chamber.
 66. An apparatus for etching as claimed in claim 64,further comprising: a reaction gas introducing line connected to thefirst chamber for introducing a reaction gas for processing the waferinto the first chamber; and an exhausting line for exhausting aby-product produced during processing the wafer using the reaction gasand for evacuating the first chamber and the adiabatic vacuum space. 67.An apparatus for etching as claimed in claim 66, further comprising aremote plasma generating device connected to the first chamber forexciting the reaction gas.
 68. An apparatus for etching as claimed inclaim 64, wherein the heating means is a halogen lamp assembly providedat an inner surface of the second chamber near the exhausting line inparallel with an axis direction of the second chamber.
 69. An apparatusfor etching as claimed in claim 64, wherein the first cooling meansincludes a plurality of lines provided along a direction of an axis ofthe first chamber so as to flow a cooling agent along the direction ofthe axis of the first chamber, and at least two adjacent lines areconnected at one end portion of the first chamber to form a coolingagent circulating system, and the first cooling means further comprisesa cooling agent storage portion connected to the cooling agentcirculating system and a valve provided at the cooling agent circulatingline for controlling an in/out flow of the cooling agent.
 70. Anapparatus for etching as claimed in claim 69, wherein the first coolingmeans further comprises a separated line from the cooling agentcirculating line with a valve for providing purging gas into the coolingagent circulating line.
 71. An apparatus for etching as claimed in claim64, wherein the second cooling means is a spraying nozzle having atleast one hole at a position facing the side portion of the wafer forspraying the cooling gas toward a side portion of the wafer to cool thewafer received in the first chamber, and further comprises a cooling gasstorage portion connected to the spraying nozzle for providing thecooling gas to the spraying nozzle.
 72. An apparatus for etching asclaimed in claim 64, further comprising; a slot valve between theload-lock chamber and the first chamber for opening and closing of theload-lock chamber to the first chamber; a gate valve at one side of theload-lock chamber to load and unload the boat into and out of theload-lock chamber; and a gas introducing line and a gas exhausting lineconnected to the load-lock chamber to maintain atmospheric pressure orvacuum in the load-lock chamber.